Why should I play this class. . .Warrior?

I have a love/hate relationship with the warrior class. On one hand, they are capable of decent damage, can take punishment and are generally fun to play. On the other hand, more than any other class they are incredibly gear and consumable dependant be it bandages, potions or food. Can a class be both frustrating and rewarding at the same time?



Solo:

Strengths: Warriors have a number of abilities for dealing damage (duh, they're warriors, right?), and they can use any weapon under the sun one-handed or two handed. Specced correctly they are capable of respectable melee damage and their plate armor gives them strong defense. They also have unique abilities to close distance and finish fights quickly.



Weaknesses: Consumable dependant. It is very easy to get overwealmed because although warriors can deal damage effectively to multiple mobs, they can't self heal so it becomes a battle of attrition. A poorly prepared warrior will eventually lose, repeatedly. Potions, bandages and food are must haves. Another facet of this is downtime. Warriors have a period after fights where they have to eat, bandage, etc and this leads to frequent, substantial downtime.



Group:

Strengths: Depends on spec. They are premium tanks with many varied abilities, strong aggro management perfectly suited for main or off-tanking.



Weaknesses: DPS warriors are not a strong choice for groups being inferior to deathknights and rogues in the melee DPS category. They lack crowd control abilties in general, although they have some abilities to stop fleeing mobs and casters, they are comparatively weak in this area. In summary, if you have a non-tank warrior in the group, they're a weakness. Protection warriors suffer from the sole weakness of having to build up rage to generate threat, so fights have to open slightly slower to allowe them to build up threat.

PvP:

Strengths: Depends on spec. DPS warriors can generate excellent burst damage. They also have good intercepts and abilities to break fear. They have tools at their disposal to counter casters and melee opponents, they are a strong PvP class.

Weaknesses: Although they do have good abilities to close distance, their abilities lack range as a whole and their damage dealing is melee based so they are generally ineffective at range. Also, although they have great capabilities for burst damage, much of this relies on rage which is not generally available immediately. Protection warriors, although tough to kill, are a PvE spec and should not be used in PvP.

Specs:

Protection: This is the tanking tree. It is one of the most useful and well rounded tanking trees in the game. It offers solid mitigation, a multitude of options for pulling aggro, and due to recent patches, usefulness in AOE situations. Protections warriors are extremely useful as either main or off tanks due to their mechanics.

Fury: This warrior tree revolves around critical strikes, both giving and receiving. It has abilities to regain health and increase damage. This is also mainly the tree which specializes in dual wielding. The ending talent in this tree allows the use of a two handed weapon in each hand.

Arms: This tree has numerous abilites generally involving the use of a single two-handed weapon. It allows easier and more efficient use of some of the warriors' main countering abilities and is good against solo or group mobs.

Warriors are really a mixed bag. It is possible to get solid DPS from them at the expense of downtime, although the DPS they put out is generally not as solid as the caster classes, and since they're taking damage generally, they are requiring more down time. I can't reccomend a warrior for leveling unless you want to tank. DPS warriors are frustrating to level and even more frustrating to try to find groups with. Bottom line, they make some of the best tanks in the game, always have since Wow was released. They are a passable option in PvP. If you are looking for more than that, look elsewhere.

Why should I play this class. . .Druid?

I don't normally blog on the weekends, it is something I generally do to pass the time at work. However, I was debating which class to do for the next installment, and the idea just sort of came upon me.

The druid. I actually have rolled more druids than any other class. Some would think the phrase "jack of all trades, master of none" would be appropriate to describe the druid. It isn't. While they lack the stun and sap capabilities of the rogue, the mitigation of the paladin or warrior, and the raw sustained damage of a mage or warlock, druids are just as effective in any role as the classes that on the surface may seem more suitable.

Solo:
Strengths: Versitility. No matter which talent tree a player goes down (I personally prefer feral for leveling, at least to 40), there are multiple tools to get the job done. No other class can stealth one minute, switch to a tank form the next, then root enemies, back away and heal themselves. When played correctly, druids are extremely efficient and level quickly with very little down time. Another boon to druid solo play is free flight form. Not only free, but 2 levels before anyone else has access.

Weaknesses: Complexity. Druids cannot be played effectively by someone who does not understand the game. They offer so many different options, selecting the correct one for a given task can be difficult. The dynamic of utilizing the druids different forms can be frustrating and lead to quite a few trips from the graveyard.

Group:
Strengths: There is no role a druid cannot fill in a group. Tank, caster DPS, melee DPS, healer, the druid can fill all of these roles. The druid also brings powerful buffs to the group, all druids will boost attributes and can give an ability that damages on hit. In their moonkin form, druids also increase the critical chance of party members.

Weaknesses: Further into the game, druids pretty much have to follow their talent tree. Feral druids will be unsuitable for healing duties and a restoration druid should be the group's tanking option. However, in their chosen roles, they don't suffer from any real weaknesses in group play.

PvP:
Strengths: Depends on their spec. Balance druids are a nightmare for multiple classes due to strong root abilities, the ability to shape shift out of polymorph, and being much tougher than any other caster class. Feral druids have increased stealth and damage from stealth and can do well against casters.

Weaknesses: Feral druids don't have the armor or additional abilities to keep up with melee characters (paladin, warrior, rogue, enhancement shammy). Once they leave stealth, they are toast. Hunters can fear them, and track them when in beast form. Other druids can hibernate them in beast form. Balance druids suffer from mana dependance, a trait they share with other casters.

Specs:
Feral: The predominant leveling spec before level 40 (when moonkin form becomes avaialable), feral has been continually streamlined and improved and is a very good choice for solo players. Cat form offers high DPS and an almost instant switch to bear form and dire bear form gives high survivability. Druid tanks are now a solid option as instance main tanks and have very high health and armor allowing them to take a large amount of punishment.

Balance: The balance tree speciliazes in caster DPS. With minimal talents selected from the restoration tree, it becomes more mana efficient. Although it may not be able to do quite as much damage as a Mage or Warlock, balance is a very strong choice for players who want a caster with a little more overall utility.

Restoration: Not generally used for leveling, restoration is a strong build for endgame healing. It is what it is, tree form druids get strong, efficient heals, both over time and straight casts that allow them to heal any content in the game if properly geared.

Hybrid: Although all classes are capable of "Hybrid" specs (i.e. not an overwelming amount of talent points spent in one tree), it is very common to see druid hybrids due to their inherent utility. Really, any combination of Balance, Resto, and Feral is possible, with "Restokin" (Balance up to moonkin with a heavy expenditure in restoration) being the most common hybrid. Hybrid druids are generally designed to do something specific, and do that job extremely well. The Restokin as an example is a very good balance between DPS and healing.

If I had to pick one character to play and I wasn't allowed to play any alts, I would pick a druid and be happy. They are more than capable in any role a person could desire to play, which role is chosen is matter of personal preferrence. Isnt that how it should be?

Why should I play this class. . .Warlock?

The Warlock. Probably one of the most hotly contested classes since the inception of Warcraft, for the majority of the time the game has been in existance, they have been called overpowered. They are. They are one of the few classes in Warcraft with few weaknesses, although unlike the Paladin, they are restricted to one role only. And they also benefit from a free mount.

Solo:
Strengths: The Warlock has a number of strengths. First of all, they are one of only three classes to employ a pet, which if used correctly allows the user plenty of time to get prepared while the pet takes damage. They offer a number of abilities which reduce downtime being able to drain both health and mana, and can convert their own health into mana. They have multiple fear abilities if situations get too difficult. Lastly they have the ability to store their souls and basically get a free resurrection. The Warlock is undoubtedly one of the most powerful classes in the game in solo play.

Weaknesses: Looking for solo weaknesses in the warlock is like looking for blemishes on a supermodel. They're there, but they're hard to find. They can't AOE as well as a mage and multiple mob pulls could become a problem. They are casters so are restricted to cloth armor and although they normally have the highest stamina of any caster, are squishy compared to the non caster classes.

Group:
Strengths: Soul stone is great for making sure the caster can rez if the group gets killed. They have strong sustained damage and AOE abilities. They also have very strong CC abilities, depending on the mobs being faced and the pet the Warlock is employing.

Weaknesses: Again, few to speak of. Fear if used at inappropriate times can be a nightmare for groups. Can pull aggro if it is not managed effectively. CC may not be usable at all times, depending on mob types.

PvP:
Strengths: DoT, DoT, DoT, DoT, Fear, repeat. It sucks, its cheap, anyone who's ever pvp'd has been hit by it, but it is effective. Oh, and the succubus can charm you. And they have an instant fear that ALSO drains life. Yeah, they're still overpowered in pvp.

Weaknesses: Depending on spec, they lack burst damage. They also are cloth wearers and a few good hits will take them out. If you can resist their fear effects, you can lay the hurt on them.

Specs:
Affliction: This is the main PvP spec for Warlocks. It increases abilities to apply DoTs on targets and drain health. This gives affliction buids very little downtime as they can convert health to mana, then drain the health from mobs (this is what is commonly referred to as "drain tanking"). This build also offers buffs to the already powerful seed of corruption, one of the more powerful AOE spells in the game if used correctly.

Demonology: Strong pets = strong warlock. This spec increases the effectiveness of the warlock's pets. It also offers a unique summon: the felguard. The felguard is like having a DPS warrior duoing with the warlock, except it is under control of the warlock and never rolls for loot. The only drawback of this line is the 51 point talent. Although turning into a demon is cool in concept, the power has a lot of weaknesses and another summon (*cough* Doomguard *cough*) would have been more appropriate.

Destruction: sometimes, you just want to blow sh*t up. For those times, spec destro! Destro locks produce excellent DPS, being slightly more bursty than the other warlock varieties. It is what it is, pure destructive spell damage. Its the "if brute force doesnt work, you're just not using enough" theory of casting. The drawback of this line is that it suffers from slightly more down time than the other two lines.

If you ever thought "I really have no desire to heal or tank, I just want to level and PvP" the warlock is a very solid choice. They are the most durable casters in the game, produce solid DPS in any spec and offer very solid utility in solo PvE, group PvE, and PvP.

Why should I play this class. . .Paladin??

A class that is near and dear to my heart, the first class I ever played in world of Warcraft, and the class that I have the most alts of: the Paladin. Paladins are the melee/healer class of Wow. They can wear the heaviest armor in the game and have considerable talents for both healing and melee burst damage. They are also one the classes in Wow that receive a free mount (the others being warlock, death knight, and somewhat the druid).

Solo:
Strengths: The paladin's biggest strength is survivability. Between plate armor and their ability to heal, paladins have arguably the most survivability of any class in the game. They also offer a "bubble" which makes them immune to damage for a period of time and only serves to increase their already considerable survivability. Specced correctly (there are a variety of ways to do this), they are also one of the most effective AOE grinding classes in tha game. This can be a very fast and efficient way to either get drops (marks, motes, whatever) or experience.

Weaknesses: the paladin has two major weaknesses: range and speed of killing. The paladin has very limited capability to pull from range or attack ranged mobs. Also, the speed and efficiency killing single mobs is severely lacking. AOE grinding improves this as generally three mobs can be killed in approximately the same time it takes to kill one. Still, single mobs will be frustrating, and/or inefficient compared to other classes.

Group:
Strengths: Paladins can be among the most valuable members in any group depending on their spec. They are the best multi-mob tank in the game, providing solid aggro generation to multiple mobs with solid mitigation. They can also be powerful single target healers with splash healing to other group members via talents and/or inscriptions. Specced for DPS they are capable of solid burst damage. They also have a wide variety of buffs to distribute which are helpful to everyone in the group

Weaknesses: Specced as holy their AOE healing is lacking. They lack mana regeneration to general aggro if they are not being directly attacked (for an off-tank role). They must be in melee range to DPS effectively. They are also relatively weak in crowd control abilities (they have a stun ability, but it is on a cooldown and may not be available when necessary).

PvP:
Strengths: Again, survivability. Given their heavy armor, healing and mitigation abilities, paladins can be a very frustrating kill. They also can have strong damage reflection abilities if protection specc'd so warriors will have a tough time taking them down.

Weaknesses: Very weak against ranged damage. No ranged attack abilities to speak of, no ability to slow down or stop fleeing opponents apart from stun. Very weak against fear and CC abilities. Unfortunately for most classes in the game, paladins are a big target and although frustrating, an easy kill. The lone exception is full retribution whose burst damage makes them dangerous.

Specs:
Protection: This is the Paladin tanking spec. It offers considerable buffs to stamina and armor. It also allows the paladin to be aomng the best AOE grinders in the game. From a solo or group PvE standpoint this is a very strong choice whose only weaknesses are in PvP and lack of burst damage.

Holy: This is a powerful single target healing spec. This spec also allows for some burst damage at the cost of efficiency and AOE grinding although not as effectively as protection. This is a very good spec for group PvE, given the current state of Wow, healers are in extremely high demand. Also fairly weak in PvP outside of Arena.

Retribution: Powerful burst DPS, this spec removes the slow killing weakness of the other paladin specs at the cost of true healing and tanking ability. This spec also inscreases the classes already present stun ability. While this class is capable of generating considerable aggro to fill a tanking role in an emergency, it is not a good selection as either a tank or healer.

Summary:
The paladin is one of the true hybrid classes in Wow able to fill tank, healer, or DPS roles capably. If you are looking for a class to play that can contribute to a group or solo grind, this is a great class. Beware PvP servers though as the main weakness of this class is in PvP.

Why should I play this class?

So I decided to do something a little different in the upcoming few days, something called "why should I play this class?" I'm going to go over relative strengths and weaknesses of the various classes/specs in Wow, in general. Some classes I have personal experience playing every spec and have multiple mid-level alts (Paladin, Warlock), and some I will have to rely on research and input from other sources (Rogue, Shaman). This information is designed for someone who is either trying to decide which class to play for the first time, or someone thinking about rolling an alt and not sure what to go with.

It is not an in depth thoerycrafting discussion of which class fill raid spots best or how to play each class. I am not really a raider, nor would I even begin to feel qualified to discuss that. I also am not going to go into profession discussions with the classes. Although I do spend a large amount of time planning, researching, and gathering for crafting, how and what you pick as professions is very much a matter of personal preferrence.

We interrupt our normal Wow content to bring you. . .The Force Unleashed!

I am probably not the only person playing Wow who is a fan of Star Wars. I own the movies, I read the books, I have the animated series recording on my DVR at home. Like a lot of people, money is a little tight at the moment, so I couldn't justify buying the game, but I figured it was worth a rental. In short, if you are a fan of Star Wars and havent played this game yet, DO SO! The only thing even remotely negative I have to say about it is that I wish it had more content, its that good.

In brief, you play the role of Starkiller, Darth Vader's secret apprentice. Although he is frequently referred to as Starkiller in materials, I don't recall them ever referring to him as that in game. Basically as part of the purge, Darth Vader came to Kashyk (however it's spelled), killed Starkiller's father, found Starkiller, killed everyone who knew about him and took him as a secret apprentice. I won't spoil any other plot details but its a great game. Although the plot is pretty predictable, there are a few surprises.

From a gameplay standpoint I have only a few gripes, force grip could be a little easier and more responsive and it is a little hard with all the things you can use it on to actually grip what you want, and then getting it to go in the direction you want is slightly challenging. I also think too many enemies are resistant either to lightsaber or force attacks. Those are the only real negatives from my standpoint.

On the positive side, the game has almost too many to list, but there are a few that stand out for me. First of all, although grip is a little unwieldy, it is absolutely AMAZING. I never get tired of gripping stormtroopers and throwing them into things. Another feature I liked was Starkiller's lightsaber style. He uses a reverse grip on the lightsaber which gives him a much different fighting style from anything we've seen. I don't know that I care much for some of the combos' use of force lightning (the guy uses it with EVERYTHING), but it is visually appealing. The last thing that makes the game stand out are the cinematic finishes. Basically at key moments (usually boss fights and larger baddies) you hit certain buttons in sequence to finish them. Anything I would write couldn't do it justice, it is that cool. As an example, one move shows you shocking an AT-ST (the two-legged walkers from return of the jedi), then you jump through the air and literally cut it in half. The boss finishes are even cooler than that.

In summary, if you are a fan of Star Wars and you haven't already BUY OR RENT THIS GAME!!! Yes, it's short, and yes it has it's technical glitches, but it is worth it.

New years resolutions. . .Warcraft style. . .

So like most everyone else, I brought in the new years with some champagne, a kiss from my fiance, and a new years resolution. I figured if I can have a new years resolution, my characters can have one too, right? I'm only listing them for active characters (I'm sure my alliance pally is thinking "my new years resolution is to leave the inn at honor hold", or maybe he's a lush and would rather sit around drinking than fight evil, who knows. . .).

Leshif - New years resolution is to master enchanting and jewelcrafting. I am the ONLY high level jewel crafter in our guild and while I enjoy crafting quite a bit, a lack of gatherers in northrend makes leveling this skill prohibitively expensive.

Dreadfish - Hit level 80. My orc deathknight has become my favorite character to play and will be my gatherer in Northrend. I dunno if I will do any raiding with him, it kind of depends on what's going on at the time.

Magefish - Hit level 70, learn seed of corruption. I want to see how warlocks AOE. This will be the biggest influence on whether to play my warlock, mage, or shadow priest as caster DPS.

Bullfish - Hit level 71, pick up free epic flying. I love druids, they are one of my favorite classes to play. I don't care for Tauren, they just aren't visually appealing for me. However, druids are only available on the Horde side to Tauren, so Bullfish was born. Feral, Boomkin, or Tree will be decided later, for now the goal is free epic flying!

Warfish - Master blacksmithing. My biggest Wow regret was dropping blacksmithing from my paladin. I think things worked out better in the longrun that way, and I wasnt through the thorium levels when I did it (leveling through there is going to SUCK!!). Even though there are other high leveled blacksmiths in our guild, I want one myself, and as only level 60 is required to master it, my Orc Warrior fits the bill.

Fish - I, the player have a few Wow related new years resolutions for 2009. First of all, no raids organized by questionably qualified individuals. A level 71 rogue named "Outtylol" kicked out of a guild he can't remember the name of would be a good example. The only thing epic about that run will be the FAIL. (OK, I may have broken that one early in the year, but this is moving forward). My other goal is to hit the level cap with at least one character. I didn't hit 70 till about a month before expansion, but that's more a function of realm hopping and indecisiveness.

On a related note, I was added to the twisted nether blog list! That's pretty exciting, I tried to add their logo but it didn't work, so I will try again in the future, but I'm super excited.